Dancing on My Own: Essays on Art, Collectivity, and Joy

"A neon-bright picture of gay nightlife, leftist class strivers, the seductions of the art world, and what Wu critically--but fondly--calls the 'empty orchestra' of Asian America. In fact, there he is now in his mesh coattails, striking the empty air." -- Andrea Long Chu, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic at New York magazineAn expansive and deeply personal essay collection which explores the aesthetics of class aspiration, the complications of creating art and fashion, and the limits of identity politics.In Robyn's 2010 track Dancing on My Own, the Swedish pop-singer chronicles a night on the dance floor in the shadow of a former lover. She is bitter, angry, and at times desperate, and yet by the time the chorus arrives her frustration has melted away. She decides to dance on her own, and in this way, she transforms her solitude into a more complex joy. Taking inspiration from Robyn's seminal track, emerging art critic and curator Simon Wu dances through the institutions of art, capitalis